


Interlude Part 3

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You [17]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Backstory, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEFollowing a series of stressful missions, the Doctor and Rose unwind at a place that holds a special place in the Doctor's hearts.“Come on,” he said, and started to head to the villa. Rose stopped and stared at him.“We can’t just go up there,” she said. “Can we?”The Doctor nodded, and rubbed his thumb on the back of the hand he was still holding. “This is Planet Herra, a small tropical paradise.”“It’s amazing,” Rose said. “Thank you.”
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030980
Comments: 2
Kudos: 124





	Interlude Part 3

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this one! Just a lot of happy moments and a little bit more into the backstory I'm crafting in this universe for the Doctor. I needed a break from writing action and this was a treat. Happy New Year and next one will be out soon! :D

The gentle hum of the TARDIS materializing echoed across the blue and silver sky as Rose grabbed the Doctor’s hand, excited to see where he had brought them. He grinned at her, and led her toward the door, a small suitcase in his other hand. They had taken some time to shower and change out of their undercover costumes, and the Doctor wanted to make sure they could just enjoy this trip, and not have to run back and forth to the TARDIS every morning. 

He planned on staying a few days. They both needed it. 

“Allons-y, Rose Tyler,” he said with a smile, and she pushed the doors open. 

She noticed the dual-toned sky straight away, and was welcomed by a warm hug of heat from the suns, which Rose realized were on both sides of her. The ground was green, but sandy pathways led their way to a villa resting at the top of the hill near where he parked their beloved blue ship. Large and tall trees stood above them, tropical, but not something Rose had ever seen before, and a bird-like creature soared between the clouds and let out a sound that reminded her of windchimes. 

Rose couldn’t stop smiling. She felt a surge of peace the moment her feet touched the ground. She could hear the crash of water to her left, but it was soothing and comforting, unlike the water in the parallel universe. It didn’t remind her of the waves she now associated with the ship in Scotland, this was much more like Atlantis, and that sent a spark of joy through her entire body. 

The Doctor found himself looking up at the trees and clouds in the sky, before turning his attention over the villa. Oh, how he missed it. They were the only ones within a ten mile radius, he knew, and he took a deep breath as he looked at the white walls, the grapevines across the yard, the red clay roof and large windows. He knew there was a pool in the back, a fire pit, and a bedroom with a spectacular view awaiting them. 

“Come on,” he said, and started to head to the villa. Rose stopped and stared at him. 

“We can’t just go up there,” she said. “Can we?” 

The Doctor nodded, and rubbed his thumb on the back of the hand he was still holding. “This is Planet Herra, a small tropical paradise.” 

“It’s amazing,” Rose said. “Thank you.” 

He kissed her forehead, and they began to walk up the sandy pathway along the hill, and the Doctor was taking it all in. He hadn’t been here in a very long time. 

“I know that face,” Rose said with a smile. “Your contemplative face.” 

“I have a contemplative face?” he asked with a slight smile. She nudged her shoulder against his. 

“I’m sure to most people it would just look like it always does, but I can see the slight squint of your eyes and the smile - yep - there it is,” she began, catching him red handed, “and I know.” 

“What other faces do I have?” he asked, genuinely intrigued. He was smiling harder now, and she just linked her arm in his as they bounded through the sand. 

“There’s your confused face, usually accompanied by a resounding ‘what?’” she teased, and he playfully rolled his eyes. “There’s your deductive face,” she began. He laughed. 

“You have one of those, too. It’s…” he said, trailing off. Rose looked at him. 

“What?” she asked. He shook his head. 

“It’s the face you made when I...well…” he said, unsure why he was embarrassed to tell her this. 

“What?” she asked, starting to giggle. He sighed. 

“When I knew I loved you,” he said. “The first time I ever saw you make it was when you called Cassandra a bitchy trampoline.” Rose smirked, and he couldn’t hide the amusement and joy the memory gave him and he told it to her. “I knew then. Without a doubt, crazy as that may seem. It got harder not to.. I dunno, well, I suppose you could say, harder not to flirt with you whenever I saw you making it over the next few years. You’re rather captivating, Rose Tyler.” 

She smiled. Their ‘deducting’ moments had become one of her favorite games, and she kissed his shoulder. 

“Wanna know when I knew I loved you?” she asked. He felt his hearts begin to speed up in his chest, and he just nodded. “When you came back for me.” 

He felt his stomach flip, and for some reason her words made him sad. He knew they shouldn’t, it was a bloody miracle she loved him at all, forget about _when_ or for how long she had, but he just clenched his jaw and turned his attention to the front door, which Rose just noticed they had made it to. It was blue, the exact shade as the TARDIS, and the Doctor knew he needed to say something. He sighed, trying to let his insecurities go. All that mattered was right now. “I’m glad I burned that supernova then. For a lot of reasons.” 

His voice was quiet, and Rose’s cheeks turned pink, realizing he completely misunderstood her. She kicked herself for wording it like that, because of _course_ he would do that. She sighed. “You think it took me two years to figure out how I felt?” He just looked at her, unsure how to answer her, and she moved her hand to his cheek. “Not that time, Doctor. Way before, I’m sorry. I meant...the first time. The night we met. You asked me to come with you, and I said no, and you opened the door again anyway. Somehow...I knew.” 

His eyes danced with hers, and he found himself pressing her gently against the door, kissing her tenderly and feeling utterly stupid for reacting the way he did. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him softly, smiling against his lips and shuddering at the feel of his body leaning into hers. “We wasted so much time,” he finally murmured, and she shook her head. 

“Epic love stories always have a slow start,” she whispered. He pulled away, smiling at her. 

“Is that we are?” he asked, feeling his heartbeat increase alongside hers. She just nibbled on his lip for a moment, kissing him. 

“Of course it is. Don’t know how else you would describe it,” she said, and he felt himself fall head over heels all over again. “I love you.” 

“ I love _you,_ ” he said quietly, still kissing her. It started sweet and soft, but the events of the last three days began to catch up with them both, and Rose felt herself melt into his arms as his lips moved from her lips to her neck, and after many minutes (and the eventual loss of Rose’s ability to breathe,) the Doctor pulled himself away from her and turned to the door, suddenly desperate to get her inside as quickly as he could. 

“How come we can just walk in?” Rose couldn’t help but ask, still flushed and her lips red and swollen. The Doctor found himself entranced by them, and he almost didn’t hear her question. 

“I own the place,” he just said, opening the door and quickly leading her inside, leaving the suitcase against the front wall as he captured her lips in another breathtaking kiss. She responded eagerly, unbuttoning the suit that she wasn’t sure why he was wearing in the first place and dropping the coat on the ground as his kisses grew more urgent. 

“Wait. You what?” she eventually gasped when he broke, just long enough to snake her shirt off over her head. He didn’t answer right away, he traced his hands on her hips and began to kiss her neck and collarbone, and she whimpered his name. 

“It was a gift,” he murmured, savoring her. He lapped his tongue against the dip of her clavicle and she cried out and began to work on his tie, throwing the entire thing on the sofa. He lowered her onto it, sliding his hands up and down her waist. His breath caught in his throat. She began to take over, kissing him intently as she undid each one of his buttons on his Oxford and pulled away, tearing the shirt off of him in one slick motion. She paused, and flashed him her favorite smile. 

“A gift?” she whispered with a hint of amusement, but he responded by hoisting her off the couch, planting her down on the ground and turning her so she was caught in his arms, her back to his chest, and he began to rub circles over every inch of her skin. 

“I stopped an alien invasion here. Lifetimes ago, back when I wore celery,” he breathed against her neck, and a wave of heat coursed through her body as he bit down on her shoulder. 

“Did you just say celery?” she couldn’t help but ask, and he sighed, his bites quickly turning into kisses. 

“Rose, no more talking, yeah?” he said huskily, and she just giggled. He flipped her around in his arms again, and they continued to kiss and make their way through the front room of the villa, completely unaware of what was around them. They tripped over a basket of blankets, and the Doctor caught Rose before she fell. He ended up scooping her in his arms entirely and led her to the bedroom with the view, laying her on the canopy bed that faced the large window. 

He hovered his body over hers with the only goal of loving her the way she so absolutely deserved. The way he was so terrified to do for so long, the way that still boggled his mind. 

His wife. 

They had both wanted to make love to each other again since before they put on their costumes today, and he was in a consuming state of pure desire. She had told him she needed a break from traveling, and he knew her well enough to know that if she was asking to slow down, it meant she was overwhelmed and exhausted, and after what happened in Scotland he knew she was probably still a little sad. He just wanted to wipe it all away. He kissed her, and dipped his hands into the waistband of her shorts, tugging down. She nudged her mind to his and he felt every sensation she was feeling like a tidal wave. 

He was speechless. 

His kisses were sloppy and a little frantic. Even though they had made love almost every night for the last week, it still didn’t feel like enough. Connecting with her like this ignited him. And taking her here was special for many reasons, reasons he would share with her soon enough, but for now he was letting her moans and thoughts capture his every breath. His entire world was wrapped in his arms, where he knew she was safe. 

“I love you,” he groaned, and it caused her to clutch the blankets, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the love he felt sent shockwaves from her head down to her toes. 

“God, don’t stop,” she cried, and he just shook his head, kissing her everywhere he possibly could, and moving faster with her, holding her to him tightly. 

He shifted the angle which made her cry out again, and he couldn’t do anything but moan and pant, completely undone and overwhelmed. She was here. They were okay. This dizzying three day stretch was over and they succeeded every time. 

Almost no one got hurt...

She sent him new sensations and images, and now he gripped the blanket as he felt the pulse of her against him, and he knew they both wouldn’t last much longer. He felt her claw at him, holding him right where he was, and as she soared he fell like a shooting star, crashing into her and taking her along with him. 

They laid there silently for a moment, and Rose pressed her lips to his forehead, feeling everything he felt and then some. ”We’ll always be okay, you and me.”

He looked at her, brushing her hair away from her eyes and sighed. “If we have to fight like hell.” 

She smiled, amazed by how much a little bit of hope has shifted his perspective, and kissed him again. She hummed happily as he shifted off of her, pulling her into her chest and rubbing her back slowly. 

“So...you need to tell me more about this celery you wore,” she said with a chuckle. He groaned, embarrassed he even mentioned it, and sent Rose an image of his past self, tan suit and all. She started to laugh and looked up at him, and he just shrugged against the pillows. 

“The most ridiculous part?” the Doctor began, “I despise celery.” 

“I know,” Rose said, still laughing. “Maybe I should get you a pear for your pocket now.”

“Ugh don’t you dare,” he teased, and she pressed her lips to his chest. 

“Oh, come on. A green, juicy, plump pear that you could sink your teeth into,” she said, her tongue in cheek smile beginning, and he wiggled away from her, pointing his finger at her. 

“No, no, no, that’s never going to happen. I will revoke chips,” he told her. She looked at him with wide eyes, and she gave him her deductive face, which made him smile widely. 

She never missed a beat. 

“Deal. No pears and lots of chips,” she said. 

“Lovely,” he grinned, and pulled her back to his chest. She stared up at the ceiling, noticing the ornate emblems and intricate designs. 

“Tell me more about this place?” she asked, and he felt his hearts flutter. Where did he begin? 

“Like I said, it was a gift,” he murmured. “The inhabitants wanted to repay me for saving everyone from some Fusillades, they’re a type of small exploding lifeform, and I kept saying no, but they insisted on giving me this villa and told me I would always have a place to stay in their small little world.” 

“They sound kind,” she said. “Don’t always get that.” 

“Mm,” he mused and began to play with her hair. “This planet is an oasis. Only two thousand people live on it, and all are at least ten miles away from us. I used to come here all the time, it was my little home away from home. I’ve never taken anyone here except…” he trailed off, and Rose felt the increase of his hearts in her ring. She rubbed her hand against his chest. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered. He sighed. 

“No, I want to tell you. Susan, she’s the only one. But...well...that all happened before the war. I haven’t been back since.” 

She looked up at him, and let her lips fall against his skin again. Susan was the family member, beside his brother, that he talked about the most. She was also the only one besides Alice whose name he would speak. She could tell each time he mentioned her how much he loved and missed her, and she didn’t ask him why he hadn’t returned. She had a sneaking suspicion she already knew. 

He probably felt like he no longer deserved it. 

“I think it’s beautiful,” she whispered instead of letting him dwell. She let out a breath of relief when he smiled. 

“It is. And you’ve barely seen any of it. We had some important things to do first,” he told her with a wink, and she snuggled closer into his chest. 

“Mmm..well you wore me out, mister. I think I want to sleep first, if that’s okay,” she said and he just nodded. 

“Of course,” he told her with a small smile, and watched as she got up and moved to the front room again, returning two minutes later in her favorite rubber duck pajama pants and a t-shirt, and crawled into bed. He held her, grazing her back lightly with his fingertips until she fell asleep, and allowed himself to nod off for a while too. He woke long before she did though, and slid out of the bed carefully to also change and look around the villa for the first time in hundreds of years. 

It felt...disorienting. And wonderful. And so many other things. 

In a lot of ways, Planet Herra reminded him of Earth, and the villa was no exception. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an exquisite backyard and a vineyard attached to the side, a large kitchen, and plenty to do. He made his way through the hall to the front door and brought the suitcase to the dresser next to the bed, and unloaded everything. 

He used to keep a spare suit, pajamas, and other accessories in these same drawers. No one else had ever used them, and now he was adding Rose’s clothes to them. He felt butterflies in his stomach. 

He looked over at her, his impossible human, currently sprawled out in the middle of the bed. He leaned against the dresser, trying not to laugh. He hadn’t seen her sleep like this in a _very_ long time, not since their first year traveling together. He had really tried since he regenerated into this body to make an effort to make sure they got rest between long missions, and his eyes trailed her arms that were tucked under her pillow, both legs that were spread across the length of the bed, and her mouth that was wide open. She was snoring. 

She must have been _so_ tired. 

He moved to her, sitting in the chair next to the bed so he didn’t disturb her, and he thought about those days when he would do this exact thing in her old room after a nightmare or really close call. He ran his hand through his hair, and shook his head. He had almost taken her here three other times as a way to open up to her, and a way to ease any pain or stress, but he let his own feelings cloud his judgement and he never did. 

_Coward. Every time,_ the northern voice in his head berated. 

The first time was after she met her father. 

The second was after Krop Tor. 

The third time was after they dropped Donna off in that wedding dress. He wanted...Oh how we wanted...

For a long time, before they were married, this place was the most domestic piece of him still in existence in this large universe. Back then, taking her here would have been letting Rose into a part of his life that he had been hiding from. A part of his life from back when he still had Gallifrey and his family, and for so long he was afraid she would ask questions, or he would be so overwhelmed seeing her here that he would inevitably tell her that she was his entire universe and he loved her, and as stupid as he knows it is now, he had a laundry list of reason why that would have been a bad thing. 

He’s an idiot, but now he’s _her_ idiot, and he smiled as he watched her sleep a little more. She was, quite literally, his heart, mind, and soul. Brave and beautiful. Witty and wonderful. 

Now, every one of those fears has left him, and he just hoped that she would love this place as much as he did. He was finally ready to share it with her. 

But he let her sleep. For many, many hours, she just snored and layed in that exact same position. He realized quickly that she must not have slept very much over the last three days, and he was frustrated with himself for not thinking or noticing that sooner. She would never be one to complain though, not when he had been such a mess himself, and he decided to surprise her when she did finally emerge. 

She deserved it. 

He knew she would be out for a while, so he moved the TARDIS to town and made a quick visit to merchants for local breads, meats, cheeses, and other delicacies. Some people who saw the box were excited to see him, and he smirked a little when he thought about how absurd it is that he is essentially grocery shopping, until he remembered they were on an alien planet and all the foods were so much better than anything they would be able to find on Earth, and he returned with a pep in his step, eager to try it all. 

He had some other ideas too, and spent the next two hours sprucing up the place so Rose would feel as welcome as possible. 

When she finally emerged, the suns had set and the entire villa smelled of firewood. She was throwing her hair in a bun when she walked into the front room, and stopped in the doorway. 

The Doctor had strung small white lights across the patio through the glass doors to the backyard, and was sitting in jeans and, to her great surprise, a green plaid button down shirt that he rolled up to his elbows and left undone at the top. A bon fire was roaring against the falling night sky, and she could see he had wine in an ice bucket and crackers and cheese of some sort on a tray beside him. He was nibbling on one, but she was too awestruck to move a muscle. She realized he was reading his journal, and his glasses rested on his nose, too, which made her heart skip a beat. 

He was absolutely perfect. 

He looked up and saw her staring at him through the window, and his smile melted her heart. She was a complete puddle of gooey love that would normally make her roll her eyes, but she simply couldn’t help it at the moment. She knew that he chose to wear these clothes to send her a single message - that they were going to do nothing while they were here but relax and be together. And she loved him so much for it. 

He nudged his mind to her, and she bit her lip as she let him in. 

_You wanna join me?_ he asked, and she nodded through the window. 

_Is it cold?_

_Not really. You asked me to take you somewhere warm, remember? Fires just for fun. I have a cardigan for you, though, just in case._

She smiled and finally found her ability to move her legs, walking out and sitting beside him on the bench he was on, resting her head against his shoulder. 

“What kind of cheese is that?” she asked. He smirked and scooped some onto a cracker, handing it to her. 

“Herra’s finest. Much better than anything you can make with cows or goats or cashews or whatever you might find on our beloved Earth,” he told her. She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Really? That’s...high praise,” she said, biting down. She groaned, her hand flying up to her mouth and her eyes widening in shock. “Oh, my god!” 

“Told you,” he said with a wink. He moved the tray in between them, and they nibbled on a few more. The Doctor pulled the wine out and poured them each a glass, and his eyes locked with hers. “To us.” 

“To us,” she said with a smile, and her tongue trailed her lip as their glasses clinked. The wine was better than Earth, too, and she drank it slowly, half expecting to pass out like she did in Atlantis. He shook his head, still able to hear her thoughts. 

“I think you're stronger now. Vortex and Bad Wolf and Instincts and you know...you can heal yourself,” he said. 

“Quite right,” she murmured, quoting one of his favorite phrases. He kissed her forehead and set his glass on the ground, looking at the fire. 

“This place...it’s sort of like my safe haven,” he told her. Her glass was resting on her knee, and she looked at him, lacing their hands together between them. “It’s the only place besides the TARDIS I was able to just...be. To think.” 

She took a sip and watched the fire dance with his eyes, and he didn’t say much more for a while. She didn’t push him either, but she did shift so the cheese was back on the side table and moved her body onto the bench, her legs curled up under her and her head in his lap. He just sat, and squeezed her hand a little. 

“It’s calm,” she eventually said, and he nodded. 

“Yeah, it is,” he said. “That’s what I like about it. Earth, as much as I love it, and I do, you know that, absolutely cherish it...it seems like there is always some problem to solve. Most places I go to are that way, but here… besides that one small problem I stopped before things got out of hand lifetimes ago, the planet simply has so few people on it they’re mostly left alone.” 

“How often did you visit?” she asked. He found his wine again, and sipped. 

“A lot,” he told her. “Gallifrey was always trying to summon me back home. They didn’t like how much I was traveling. Never really got over it, I s’pose. I had stopped for a bit, but...well, my kids were all grown up by then. They kinda wanted nothing to do with me, they wanted to be good and proper Time Lords and having a father who constantly broke the rules was...well... Susan was the only one who was willing to come see it.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rose whispered, running her hand over his. He just shook his head. 

“No, it’s okay. I’ve made my peace with that bit at least,” he said. “It’s complicated.” 

A moment passed, and Rose felt him put his blocks up as he sorted out his words in his head. 

“You’re my great love story, Rose. Epic, as you called it. I need you to know that,” he whispered. She tried to say he didn’t need to tell her that, but he shook his head, asking her to let him finish. “I loved my family, and I loved my wife, but...it wasn’t like this. I would give up every bit of the stars if I had to for you. But back then...I rarely wanted to be there, especially after I regenerated the first time. I was married way too young, had kids way too young, and I mostly did it to appease my father. To make up for all the years of stress I caused him. There was...always a bit of resentment, as awful as that is to say.” 

She sat up and looked at him carefully, and he found himself drinking her in. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the planet. Maybe it was the look of the stars bouncing off her eyes. Maybe, it was just being with her _here_ , but all the Doctor knew was he had a case of word vomit at the moment, and he wanted Rose to know everything. Why this place meant so much to him. 

She might judge him, though knowing Rose he doubted it. It didn’t matter either way, really. He had already done enough judging of his past for the both of them. 

“Doctor, I know you loved your family. You don’t have to justify anything,” she whispered, and he just shook his head. 

“No, I know. It’s just... This place means...it means a lot, Rose. And the only person I would ever want to share it with is you. But I just...I want you to know why,” he said. She shut up, sipping her wine, and let him share with her at his own pace. “By the time I found this place my wife and I were basically estranged. She refused to travel with me, and I refused to stay. We were friends and all, I suppose, but my kids were both in their third regenerations, and my father...was dying.” 

Rose stiffened, but she didn’t say anything. He sighed. “He was on his last one. Old age, it eventually comes for us all.” 

“How human,” Rose said, unsure if it was appropriate or not, but he just chuckled a little and sighed. 

“All I had in the universe was the TARDIS, really. I felt more like an outcast from my home when I was all celery and hats than I did as a child. Afterwards, too. This place, though...it helped heal me a little bit,” he said. “I was able to come to terms with a lot of my past here.” 

“I’m glad,” Rose whispered. 

“Yeah,” he said, but he began to look up at the sky and saw the spot Gallifrey used to sit. His throat tightened for a moment, and he reached for her, pulling her to him. “For a long time, Rose, after the war...I thought of myself as a fraud. A rather shit Time Lord who made an impossible call and was destined to live out the rest of my regenerations in pain. Suffering. Isolation. That’s why I never came back here. Too much...hope lives in these walls. Too many realizations and happy memories. I see Susan’s face when I walk into the kitchen. This place...I was here when I finally decided to reconcile what I could with my wife and kids and brother. I told them I was sorry. Told them I loved them. That was the last time I saw them. Three months before the war ended.” 

Rose felt hot tears well in her eyes and she tried to push them down, but they fell onto her cheek instantly, and the Doctor noticed right away. He shifted, and looked at her incredulously. “Rose, what’s wrong?” 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just...everytime you talk about your family Doctor I.. I just...I know how much I love mine, and I...I can’t imagine what you went through for so long. It breaks my heart.” 

He stared at her, and found his word vomit instantly cured. Rose, his perfect, pink, yellow, and gold human, was once again rendering him utterly speechless. He cupped a hand to her cheek, and shook his head at her in amazement. He opened his mouth but closed it immediately, followed by his eyes. When he finally opened them, she was wiping tears from her cheeks again, and he gently brought her hands into his, leaving a trail of smudged tears on her jawbone. “You found me.” 

She looked at him, knowing exactly what he meant, and she rubbed her lips together. “I did,” she said softly, smiling at him a little, which he reciprocated. 

“And from the moment you did; from the moment those untrained Instincts of yours led you into that bloody warehouse and I grabbed your hand, all that isolation and suffering I thought I was destined for began to fade away. Very slowly and without me even noticing it, but...well...I suddenly found myself thinking of this place every so often. I almost brought you here a few times but...coward and all,” he trailed off, rolling his eyes, and she sniffed back the last of her tears, listening. “You give me so much damn hope, Rose.” 

She kissed him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap as the fire flickered behind her, illuminating around her hair and reminded him of the way Bad Wolf looks in her eyes. She smiled, kissing him firmly, and pulled away, both feeling like they couldn’t possibly love each other more without exploding. She snaked her hands into his hair and tugged a little, which made him sigh in content. “I love you,” he said. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “And I’m...I know it's complicated, but I’m really glad you were able to make up with them before.” 

“Me too,” he said, tracing circles on her hips. “It’s the one bit of solace I had for a while.” 

“Yeah,” she murmured. “I’m just so sorry.” 

“No,” he said, “None of that. A lot has happened since then, a lot of pain, and recently a lot of joy. I’m...okay. I think. Mostly. Maybe. I dunno, Rose. All I know is I couldn’t wait one more second to show you this place. I want you to know it, and...maybe we can come back more often.” 

She bit her lip, and trailed her thumb against his bottom lip. “Of course we can.” He smiled at her, and she pressed her lips to his slowly. “Thank you,” she said in Gallifreyan, and he just stared at her. 

“Thank _you_ ” he said back, and she smiled. “You’re getting quite good at that.” 

“Yeah?” she said, a smile breaking out on her face. He nodded, and she reached onto the table next to him, grabbing his journal. For once, there weren’t unspoken words lingering in the air, and he nudged his mind to her, letting her feel just how okay he was. She smiled and flipped it open to the middle, and tried to see if she could read his chicken scratch handwriting. He watched her and poured them both a little more wine before he settled back down, a weight he didn’t realize had been on his hearts finally lifted. 

She knew more about him than he ever could have imagined, and she loved him for it. He found it all completely ridiculous, but he wasn’t going to question it. Or take it for granted. He was going to try and show her each day how much she means to him. 

“What’s this word?” she asked, and he bit his cheek to stop from smiling. 

“Diagonal,” he said. “The drawing is supposed to be a table of some sort.” 

“It’s cool,” she said. He smiled. 

“You know I had a dream a few weeks ago I said that about bow ties,” he told her and she laughed. 

“Well, I mean, bowties _are_ cool,” she said and he scoffed. She smirked. “You’ve worn them before. You look great in them,” she added, flipping the page. 

“Yeah with a tux. That’s different,” he said, and she just smiled at him. 

“You’re so traditional,” she teased, and he winked at her as he took another sip of wine. 

They sat for a little while longer, Rose reading a few new words and the Doctor eating more cheese than he planned for, and eventually she closed the journal and put it back on the table. He looked at her, and grabbed her hand. “You warm?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “You tired?” 

He shook his head, still reeling from everything, and stood, pulling her up with him. “Come with me.” 

They moved away from the fire, and the Doctor led her toward the pool a few feet back. She saw double moons reflected in the water where the suns were, but they walked around it and moved toward the vineyard. 

The sky was radiant with stars and planets and moons, and he watched her take it all in, thinking the universe was made to be seen by her eyes. 

She smiled at him, and kissed his cheek lovingly. He told her about the history of the vineyard, the man who owned the house before he did, and some of his favorite memories here. It wasn’t all reflection, he assured her. He had lots of fun here, too. He told her about the time Susan taught him how to do a cartwheel on this grass. Rose made him try it, and applauded him when he succeeded. He told her about how he used to spend hours in the bedroom with the view overlooking the ocean, and she just kept smiling, still marveling over the fact that he was letting her in this way. 

Hours later, they found themselves in the kitchen, laughing over nothing like usual, with cuppas sitting before them. It was chaotic laughter, and Rose felt stitches in her side as he spit up his tea, laughing harder as it dripped down his chin. “It burns!” he cried, and she just laughed more. 

He grabbed a towel and wiped his face, and when he turned around he saw her scanning the bookshelf with her sonic screwdriver. He felt his hearts skip a beat and he moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Whatcha looking for?” he asked. 

“Nothing really, just having fun,” she said. “This is...perfect, Doctor.” 

“Good,” he mused, kissing her neck for a moment. He turned to a speaker on the wall, whipping out his own sonic screwdriver and smiling as a slow, piano laden song began to filter through the villa. Rose put her sonic back in her pocket and looked at him, smiling as he reached for her hand and pulled her to him, dancing with her. 

They didn’t speak, and the world didn’t end. The Doctor just danced, Rose in his arms, unaware of any problems the universe might be facing at this moment. The hope in his hearts weaved between them, and her head rested on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, and the dancing eventually phased into a hug. They stopped swaying, and the Doctor’s grip on her tightened, holding her to him. 

The hug lasted an absurd amount of time. It would be a sight they would be ridiculed for by Jackie if she knew. She would certainly call them co-dependent or mushy or something, and Rose smiled against the Doctor’s shoulder when she heard these thoughts. 

“She’d be teasing, though,” Rose whispered. It was the first time they had spoken in minutes, and Rose pressed her lips to his shoulder. “She really does love you.” 

“I know,” he said softly. “Me too.”” 

“I know,” Rose said with a smile, and finally pulled away a little to look at him. “Thank you for taking me here.” 

He looked at her, and smiled. “Wanna see more?” 

~~~~

They stayed for five days. They spent the majority of that time lounging around, sleeping in, drinking cuppas and eating some more of the incredible food the planet had to offer. They went swimming, had a picnic by the beach, watched the sunset from the bedroom with the view. He opened up a little more, telling her more stories from his time here, and took her to the town on the third day. They met some of the people who lived here and restocked on the cheese she loved so much, and he picked up some extra wheels for the TARDIS, too. 

He bought a toy for Tony, which made Rose smile. 

They laughed constantly. They made love four more times and the Doctor almost forgot about all the things they were dealing with - the timeline, the remaining projections, the gem, the blueprint, and the rift that he still, in the back of his head, feared might be open somewhere. 

Only this place, and only this woman, had that effect on him. 

He had fun. So did Rose. And she absolutely understood why he loved this place so much. 

At the end of the fifth day, they were back on the beach looking up at the sky. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and he was smiling at her, ready to play his favorite game. “Which way do you want to go next?” 

“That way,” Rose said softly, pointing to a random star. He kissed her. 

“That way?” he asked. 

“No, wait...That way,” she said, shifting directions. 

“That way?” he repeated, and she nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, that way,” she murmured. “And back here soon.” 

“Very soon,” he said, and wrapped her in a long kiss. 

When they returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor set the coordinates for a spot in the general direction where Rose had pointed and sat back in the chair, holding her hand as the twist and turn of time beneath their feet began to spin under them. 

“You know what I realized over the last few days?” Rose asked. The Doctor looked at her, and she began her tongue in cheek smile. “How much I missed swimming.” 

“Oh?” he asked, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She just nodded, and moved away from the console toward the hall, peeling her shirt off over her head and revealing her black bikini top, the same one the Doctor tore her out of the first time he saw it on their second day in the villa. He felt a smile tug at his lips but he restrained it, thoroughly aware he was going to follow her to the TARDIS pool without a second thought. 

She dropped the shirt on the grating and pulled her hair on top of her head, letting her hoop earrings shine against the yellow light of the hallway. He still wasn’t moving, not yet, but was once again reminded of how Rose always manages to find whatever bit of gold she can. 

“And I was just thinking, I think I’ve swam here...once, maybe. And you certainly weren’t with me,” she flirted, dropping her shorts off next. He stood then, and moved to her, sliding his white tee over his head as well. 

“We can’t have that,” he murmured, and she bit her lip. She was pushed against the hallway as he kissed her for a moment, but soon they were running and laughing toward the pool, where they proceeded to make love for the sixth time in five days. 

And for a moment, all was absolutely as it should be. The Doctor, in the TARDIS, with Rose Tyler.


End file.
